Forum: Freeform
Advanced or Relaxed: Advanced

Plot Summary:
The Incubator has arrived in Tokyo City.

In all the years of making contracts with young girls, Kyubey has never found one quite like Usagi Tsukino. She is unique in the way that her Soul Gem is incorruptible. No matter how much she uses her magic, it never turns black. It's self-sufficient and does not need Grief Seeds to power it. This is a phenomenon that is unheard of, though perhaps it has something to do with how she became a magical girl in the first place. She saw the suffering caused by the witches and made the selfless wish of being able to fight against them indefinitely. For all eternity.

This did not make her invincible. She could get hurt, and could still die in battle. But her Soul Gem would never expire for as long as she could continue to fight. The downside was that the brightness of her Soul Gem also attracted numerous witches into her area. Her extraordinary shine called out to the deepest darkness. And so her battles were destined to never end.

But Kyubey saw the potential in her to become the strongest witch the world has ever seen, if only he could figure out how to crush the eternal hope she carried. And so he concocted a plan. He found four lonely girls who needed a friend. He would make a contract with each of them and gather four other magical girls whom he would enlist to be her guardians. He would tell them that it was their job to dedicate their lives to protect the most important magical girl in the world. The one who was destined to save them all one day.

He would wait for the five girls to form an unbreakable bond. Then he planned to watch the other four self-destruct - as they always, inevitably do - and turn into witches, forcing Usagi to kill them by her own hands.

Surely that would finally introduce her to the concept of despair.

Surely that would be enough to corrupt her incorruptible Soul Gem.

Everyone had a limit, after all.

Details on any necessary information: This RP will belong in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica universe. As such, everyone will have to play by the rules of that universe. Familiarity is appreciated, but complete knowledge of canon is not necessary as long as players are willing to learn the rules. The senshi are on the first year of high school, not having met each other up until that point. They still retain the basic core of their personalities, but they aren't senshi anymore. They're magical girls, with different powers (up to the players to create).

Restrictions: The canon inner senshi only plus Usagi. No otaku.

Source: N/A

The sky was particularly dark tonight.

Ami’s Soul Gem blinked insistently, alerting her to the presence of a witch nearby. Something about it felt more malicious than usual, though. Maybe it was a strong one? Why where there so many witches in this area anyway? Not that she was complaining, because a night of slaying witches was definitely better than a quiet one where her mind would have the opportunity to be loud and drown her in her darkest thoughts.

Up ahead, after turning a corner, she finally saw it. The distortion in reality that regular people couldn’t see. She rushed ahead, transforming mid-stride by calling to the power that had been bestowed upon her. In another second she was already dressed for battle with her sword gleaming in one hand.

Without hesitating she entered the labyrinth, and quickly slashed down the familiars that tried to attack her upon sensing her presence. This particular witch seemed to have a fondness for nature. Her labyrinth looked like a thick forest with branches and thorns slithering everywhere. She shot beams of ice to freeze the ones trying to encircle themselves around her legs and crushed them underfoot. The labyrinth was particularly intricate, too, and it was going to require a lot to fight her way to the center of it all.

She smiled to herself. A challenge was not something that scared her.

Rei walked quickly down the street, brushing past all the other people in her way. She was focused on one thing and one thing only...her soul gem, the red and gold trinket that blinked rapidly in her hands. It was a device given to her to help her find witches when she made her contract. Rei could feel it, the soul gem just confirmed what she already knew. A witch was nearby.

She continued down the street, her soul gem blinking more and more with each step. Then she saw it. Ahead of her was the illusion that no one else could see. Normal humans were walking through it, unfazed by the portal of tree like things. Rei broke out into a full sprint and ran at the distortion, transforming on her way. She gripped her black and gold bow tightly in one hand, an arrow in the other, prepared for anything to happen.

'This witch must have an affinity for nature.' She thought to herself, shooting a familiar with a fire arrow. This place was a huge maze, more complicated than most. Rei was a little worried about this situation. It never got easier entering a witch's domain, it was always scary, but something about this one made her feel exceptionally uneasy. She shook her head lightly, as if trying to clear her thoughts, and quickly turned a corner. No point in worrying about it. She was already here and it was her duty to find this thing and kill it. To help protect people, to save people.

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

Kyubey's ears twitched. The lazy indigo-furred creature rolled over, listening carefully. Yes, it was a Witch. He flicked his tail, and turned his wide-eyed face towards Usagi.

"Usagi, a Witch has appeared nearby," he communicated.

He knew she would want to fight it. She never turned down the opportunity to save the inhabitants of her city, regardless of whether they were her friends or foes. That brilliant light inside her chest continued to glow, banishing the darkness of the Witches. That brilliant light... it fascinated him. The potential for energy was so strong. If only he could harness it... but how to do so was still undiscovered. Until then, he continued to guide her into battle after battle against the Witches.

He didn't tell her that there were already Magical Girls gathered there, beginning the battle. That wasn't something she needed to know... yet.

Slipping out had been easier tonight.

Makoto glanced back towards the front door of her boyfriend's apartment. No, she corrected herself, it was their apartment. They lived together now, after all.

He had fallen asleep fairly quickly which made it much easier to get out of bed without fearing of waking him up. How lucky that Yoichi was such a heavy sleeper. Makoto wasn't sure she would have been able to do her duty as a magical girl without that bit of help.

The night sky felt cool against her skin, and Makoto idly wondered why she hadn't grabbed a jacket on her way out. Her heart still raced at the idea of sneaking out, and she could imagine the look on Yoichi's face if he woke up without her in the apartment.

But this was important. Surely he could understand that. She would tell him the truth about her, if it came to that. And he would finally understand.

Makoto nodded to herself, deciding once again that this was all okay. She couldn't fully push away the guilt, though.

But she had a job to do, and limited time in which to do it, so she couldn't stand here feeling bad.

Her soul gem was in her hand a moment later, a soft glowing light in the dark. Its pulsing was rhythmic, almost hypnotic. And it told her everything she needed to know.

The entrance to the witch's lair was easy to find, and standing outside of it, Makoto could already feel the strong energy emanating from it. This was going to be a tough opponent then. Makoto grinned at the thought, a spark of confidence rushing through her. A nice fight was just what she needed.

In a flash of green light, she was dressed in her battle outfit, silver pike in hand, and in the next moment, Makoto charged forward into the witch's lair.

One of the thorns lashed out and whipped her cheek. Ami gritted her teeth to stop a yell from coming out—she hated looking weak in front of these things. She could feel blood dripping from the wound but barely stopped to jump over another branch that tried to sweep her off her feet. Focus, she reminded herself. Being confidence was all well and good, and taking out her frustrations by fighting viciously was also acceptable, but she could not lose her rational mind. That was the only good thing going for her, after all. She’d let her emotions dominate her once—when she decided to make a deal with the devil—and look where that took her. No, emotions were bad. She must not feel. Not even anger.

If only she’d been logical about the offer, she knew she would have turned it down. She was never someone who believed in magic anyway. And now it turned out it was nothing but trickery.

She needed to stick to her true blessing, and that was her sharp mind. She needed to be wise and calculative and cunning. Ami mapped the path to the heart of the labyrinth in her head, and as the witch slowly came into view she tried to immediately pinpoint her likely weak point. Everyone had one. It wasn’t easy to spot, but it was usually the one they protected the most.

This witch had the appearance of a cross between a huge tree and an octopus. They always looked so bizarre and twisted. The first time Ami encountered them, she was terrified, but now she barely batted an eye anymore.

There seemed to be a spot in its trunk-like body that it was trying to cover with its tentacles at all times. Ami quickly zeroed in on it while trying to pay attention to the incoming attacks from all directions. It was not easy at all. It had never been a job that was easy to do alone. For the briefest of moments, she entertained the thought of having companions. People she could work with to negate these threats easier.

But then she felt stupid. Wishing for a friend again? She could almost hear Kyubey’s mocking voice in her head. Haven’t I granted that already?

No, Ami was not meant to have friends. She was a lone soul and that was what she would always be. That was what she should have stayed as in the first place. Trying to fight against fate had only made things worse.

But as she continued to fight, something began to catch her eye. Something that didn’t belong. A spark of flame somewhere in the distance. Something that looked like a fight going on somewhere else. She narrowed her eyes when she realized the witch seemed to be fighting on two fronts. She hadn’t even realized that its relentless barrage of attack on her had slowed somewhat.

Confused, Ami tried to move closer to the flame. Was that…?

She didn’t allow the thought to even form in her mind, even as she slowly saw the figure of another girl fighting her way toward her.

Because that was impossible, right?

Usagi

Usagi was walking home with her brother after one of his karate lessons. Their house was just around the corner, and she stared up into the night sky, gazing at the starts above them. 

"If you could wish for one thing, what would you wish for?" Usagi asked her brother, still staring up at the sky while she walked.

"Unlimited candy!" Shingo replied in a hyperactive tone.

Usagi slapped the back of his head, which caused her brother to run ahead of her. Usagi chased after him, and shortly they were at their home. The air was crisp and Usagi could sense her soul gem blinking. Shingo stopped at the top of the steps and turned to face Usagi.

"Don't worry, I have some stuff I need to take care of, then I'll be home before mom even wakes up for her nightly glass of water. Shingo nodded and went inside without replying.

For several nights now, Usagi had to lie about being busy with other activities. It wasn't like her to lie, and she felt like a horrible sister for keeping Shingo in the dark, but it was for his own safety. Being the brother he was, he would want to follow Usagi and protect her, when in the end it might cause him to get killed. It was better this way she told herself.

She heard Kyubey's voice in her head, and she took off running, watching her soul gem blink faster. Around the corner, down an alley, past a cafe, Usagi knew where she was going although she was blind to the location. Something about being a magical girl allowed her to track the labyrinths in which witches called home without much trouble. Finally, Usagi found the warped space that only she could see. She folded her arms across her chest and transformed. Her Soul Gem sat on a bow like pendent on her neck, and lit up when she entered the warped space. 

This labyrinth was like a jungle, literally. The branches bent and twisted around her. and the ground twisted in all different ways, making it hard for her to keep her footing. Snakes slithered where some branches should have been, and gum drops spun in place of the golden flowers. She ran through the space, searching for the witch, occasionally firing her pink energy balls at smaller minions .

Rei shot another arrow into a flower shaped familiar. They were coming at her, in every direction. It was a good thing she couldn't run out of arrows, or she would of done so long ago. She noticed that the stream of the attacks seemed to slow down some since she entered. They were still every where, but it seemed as a lot of them had gotten preoccupied elsewhere. She didn't stop to think too much about it though. She needed to stay focused on the task at hand.

Turning around quickly, she shot another arrow into a familiar and turned another corner. She landed on the ground with a heavy thud. Panicking, she quickly looked down at her feet. A thorn like snake had wrapped itself around her. She quickly grabbed a arrow and slammed it into the things head, killing it instantly. With shaky fingers, she removed the strands left of it and stood up. She hadn't seen that coming. She shook the uneasy feeling that had resurfaced and quickly continued through the maze.

As she turned yet another corner, she stopped short. Was that...another person? It looked like a figure of another girl, but...that couldn't be? She slowly started walking over to the figure, arrow nocked and ready to be fired when needed. It was probably her mind playing tricks on her...or maybe a witch's illusion? Could they do that?

Rei had always hoped that one day she'd find other girls like her so she wouldn't have to go through this alone. She was independent by nature, never really needing the company of others, but it would be nice not to have to go through this alone. Others would mean she would be a bit safer than doing it on her own, but she gave up believing that could really happen. Maybe...just maybe...there really could be someone else?

It was hard trying to watch the mysterious girl closely while still fighting the witch. Ami had to sacrifice the former for the latter for the most part, thinking of saving her life. But once she’d sent a powerful and relentless burst of ice shards to get rid of a thick group of roots, she had more room to breathe, and with the space cleared up she took a second to look back at the other girl. She was dressed in a way that was quite like herself but also different. And she was fighting the witch, too. That much became clearer with each passing second. Ami watched in amazement as the girl in red attacked fiercely, nocking arrow after arrow and sending them toward the witch.

Arrow.

Something clicked in Ami’s mind. Her sword was powerful, but it was mainly for close-range fight. She could conjure ice, but they were nowhere near strong enough to deal a killing blow. For that she needed her weapon. But she hadn’t been able to get close enough to the witch, who was protecting her weak spot very fiercely. However, perhaps that other girl’s arrow…

Ami blinked when she realized she was contemplating giving up the kill to someone else. This other girl had invaded her territory. She’d been protecting Juuban for about a month now, and had not encountered anyone else. And if she let someone else kill this witch, that meant tonight’s fight would be wasted—she wouldn’t get a Grief Seed out of it.

She frowned and tried to get closer to the other girl, resuming the fight. “Hey!” she called out at last. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” she asked. “I kind of found this witch.”

Then, impossibly, from beyond the girl in red’s shoulders, Ami saw yet more attacks. There were even more people fighting in the labyrinth?!

What the hell was going on?

Rei looked up suddenly upon hearing another person yell. Were they talking to her? She took a quick look around, shooting another arrow in to an enemy in the shape of a flower. She couldn't see anyone else here, so it had to have been directed at her, right? But maybe it was the witch trying to distract her? Still...

"My name is not important!" Shouted Rei back at the other figure. "I think the better question is, who are YOU and what are YOU doing here?! I won't fall for any of your tricks!" She had been told by Kyubey to protect the Juuban area and that she was the only one. So how could there be another? It didn't make much sense to her at all. She nocked another arrow in her gold and black bow and slowly continued her way to the other figure, a girl she assumed by the voice. She was ready for anything. A familiar attack, a witch. She needed the grief seed the witch possessed in order to power her soul gem. There was no way she would allow another person, if it really even was a person, to take it from her.

Rei was careful to still pay attention to her surroundings while keeping her eyes on the other person. She didn't want to get ambushed, and certainly didn't want to trip again. Then she saw something, something that didn't look native to a witch's domain. A light? It lit the area softly before disappearing. Was there two witches? Rei shook her head, that can't be possible....could it?

OOC:

Another familiar fell to the blade of her pike, and another, and another. Makoto was used to the maze-like quality of these lairs, but she was having more trouble than usual, it seemed. She normally had to take some extra time navigating her way through the lair, as she was one more for fighting first and thinking later, which did not allow her to remember where she was heading.

But she was enjoying the fight a bit more tonight. As she cut another familiar in half, and sent a bolt of lightning towards a cluster of them, she reveled in the physical exertion. It felt good to move and to fight. She didn't have much opportunity during the day to be out much.

It was beginning to get a little frustrating to have no found the witch yet. Makoto glared at the next familiar who came into her path. As much as she was enjoying herself, she couldn't get too caught up in the bloodlust. She still needed to get home before Yoichi woke up.

Makoto began to move faster, intent on finding the witch herself. She was ready for the real battle.

It was the voices that helped her find the center. Makoto paused at first, hesitant. Were the voices a trick from the witch? She had faced witches who had such illusions before, and her guard was up as she moved closer and closer. It was strange for the witch to hold a conversation with herself, though.

As she came into a more open area, Makoto gripped her weapon even more tightly when she saw two girls. They were where the voices had come from, but they seemed more real than simple illusions created by the witch. They wore outfits that reminded her of her own. Could they be Magical Girls, too?

Somehow, that thought made her feel a little hopeful. But she also knew how most other Magical Girls acted in such situations. Makoto generally did not care about territory struggles, as long as the witches were dying and she had enough grief seeds to cleanse her own soul gem. But no one wanted to work together for a common goal, and she didn't expect these girls to be any different than the others, really.

Makoto forced herself to stop staring, and focused her attention on the witch itself. "Stop fighting each other, and start fighting the witch!" she said to them. "You can argue all you want after it's dead. We all seem to be on the same side, so we might as well work together this time, right?"

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

Kyubey watched from a safe distance, his tail slowly swishing in a rhythmic pattern. Slowly, the Magical Girls were coming together. It was inevitable--this Witch's labyrinth was ideal for such a task, as there were many entrances but all wound towards the hidden master.

When Makoto encouraged the two that had just interacted to work together, the swishing of his tail increased, almost tinted with happiness...if an Incubator could be said to experience such an emotion.

Usagi took a chance and let go of the vine that she was holding onto. She landed on an over sized leaf and slid down a steep incline until she collided with the ground. Her legs ached, but soon healed with her Magical Blood flowing through her veins. She heard someone in the near by distance shout "You can argue all you want after it's dead. We all seem to be on the same side, so we might as well work together this time, right?"


Usagi turned her face towards the voice, and saw another girl fighting against the creatures that laid shelter in the labyrinth. Out of no where, a giant venus fly trap on a spiders back raced towards the mysterious girl. The girl, who had her attention turned elsewhere, didn't notice the incoming attack. 


"Watch out!" Usagi screamed as she dived towards the creature. Before it bit down, Usagi managed to shoot a blast of energy into it's mouth, causing it to melt into an oozy pool onto the ground.

Her name wasn’t important? Ami immediately felt frustrated by this other girl. As the questions were turned back to her, she changed her mind about having a companion. No, knowing another magical girl definitely wouldn’t be nice. If they were all as competitive and stubborn as her and this other girl, then there was no way they would be able to work together anyway. It would just be a disaster.

“I’m not playing any trick!” she yelled in annoyance. Wasn’t it obvious that she was fighting this witch too? Who did this other girl think she was; the only magical girl in the world? And who did she think she was, waltzing into Ami’s territory and trying to stake her claim on her target?

The witch, too, seemed more and more agitated with the increasing number of attacks. Maybe they didn’t work together well, but their attacks definitely overwhelmed their opponent. Ami took a step back and surveyed the area carefully. There were flashes of light elsewhere, too. What was this; a magical girl party? Did someone extend an invitation to all magical girls within a five kilometer radius or something?

Her brain immediately latched onto Kyubey and the creature’s sly, untrustworthy expression. He must be behind this. Ami just knew it.

Another voice joined them, startling her. A girl with brown hair had emerged into the center of the maze as well, telling them to stop fighting each other. Ami raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by her take-charge attitude, but couldn’t logically argue with her point. At least about the witch being dead part, which was what they all wanted. There was still the matter of who would get the Grief Seed.

As Ami opened her mouth to speak to the newcomer, she saw the dangerous creature heading toward her, about to snap her head off probably. Her scream of horror and warning died in her throat, but someone else took care of it. A shout of warning, and another blast of light. The creature melted into nothingness a second later, and on its place stood a blonde girl. Yet another different magical girl.

This was getting crazy. But the way that girl had saved the other without hesitation… it reminded Ami that when it came down to it, she’d rather have a dead witch than dead magical girls.

So she turned her attention to the black-haired girl in red. “You with the arrow!” she shouted. “Or anyone with a long-range powerful weapon, really. I think that point at the bottom of the witch’s body, the one glowing with red light, is its weak spot.” She paused, before finally saying reluctantly, “You know… if anyone wants to take a stab at it. It’s heavily protected so I wouldn’t recommend getting up close and personal with it.”

Then she turned back to the fight, leaving the other girls to make their decision. She didn’t need them—she was confident she could ultimately take down this witch alone given time, but since they wanted to work together so badly, she wouldn’t argue if they wanted to be useful.

As she waited for a response from the other girls, Makoto allowed herself to be distracted, wondering what they would say. She knew that being a magical girl was something that hardened people, but surely they could see that working together right now would be the best outcome for all of them?

"Watch out!"

The scream of warning caught Makoto off guard and she turned towards it, her weapon at the ready. But the girl who had spoken had already attacked, destroying the creature in a blast of bright energy.

Makoto blinked, her thoughts racing in a mix of relief and shock, as well as frustration towards herself. How could she let herself put down her guard like that? She had learned long ago that she had to be vigilant and perceptive, never letting anything get the best of her.

She had to always watch her surroundings if she wanted to continue to live.

"Thank you," Makoto told the new girl slowly, a cautious smile on her lips. Another magical girl. Just how many more were going to show up tonight? Makoto couldn't remember ever seeing so many magical girls in one place before. She couldn't help but to wonder just how long it would take before they all started fighting each other over the grief seed that this witch would drop.

Now with her mind back into the fight, Makoto pushed away all thoughts of the other girls. They could work together, or not, but Makoto was going to fight. She threw herself against some more of the familiars. As she heard one of the girls speak about the witch's weak spot, Makoto knew that she would not be a good match for that particular job. But it sounded like a good catch. Makoto hadn't noticed that weak spot at all.

As another familiar fell to her own attack, Makoto glanced towards the other girls. "I can watch your back, arrow girl, if you're going to focus on the weak spot."

Without waiting for an answer, she moved towards the archer, and continued to fight, keeping the enemies away from them both.

Rei blinked at the arrival of another girl. Work together? Was she serious? She glanced between the blue haired girl and the brown haired one. Were they actually going to work together as a group? Or is it one of the witch's familiars trying to lull her into a false sense of security? Rei shook her head slightly. No. They had to work together. This witch was more powerful than previous ones and if they didn't work together, none of them might make it out.

"I will focus on that sp....." Rei's sentence trailed off as she saw a bright flash of light and someone yelling. Another magical girl? How many of them was there? She couldn't remember ever running in to another one inside of a witch's maze, so why now? She turned back to the blue haired girl. "I will focus on the spot."

She moved towards the red glowing light. She nodded towards the brunette who offered to watch her back. This was crazy. Not only were there multiple magical girls in here, but they were trying to help one another? What was going on? Rei nocked another arrow in her bow. She gripped it firmly and drew the string back, aiming for the red light. She let out a breath to calm her nerves and let the arrow fly.

And theeeeeeen....:

Usagi felt her heart grow warm upon hearing the brown haired girl thank her for saving her life. However, it was no time to relax. Anything in this hell maze could attack and kill you at any moment. 

She heard another voice come from the vastness of the labyrinth, and watched as the brown haired girl took off in another direction. Something about distance, and an archer. Usagi glanced up at the witch of the labyrinth and put two and two together. Of course, distant attacks would overcome a witch of this type. Melee attacks were just asking for one to be killed.

"Coming!" Usagi hollered after the nameless brown haired girl. "My power is ranged too! I can help!" Usagi put a hopeful tone in her voice. She was secretly excited over the thought of there being more like her. Perhaps they could be friends?

Ami heard more chatter as she tried to focus back on her own fighting. One of the other girls was offering to watch the black-haired girl’s back. This all seemed way too convenient for her. Magical girls—not two or three but four of them—converging in one witch’s labyrinth at exactly the same time? That was practically unheard of. Something must be going on. Granted, the witch was stronger than the one she usually encountered, so maybe that had something to do with it? Maybe it activated everyone’s Soul Gem, reaching magical girls far and wide?

Or maybe… Ami saw a flash of white, the only thing staying still amidst the quick motions of battle around her; Kyubey. She had distrusted the creature ever since she discovered the true nature of her wish. But what could Kyubey benefit from this? He was making all their jobs easier tonight… Was he after this particular witch? Maybe he wanted the strong energy he would be harvesting from its demise? Ami’s brain continued to consider all the possibilities, but she reminded herself not to get distracted.

Still, when the archer let loose her arrow, she couldn’t help but look. The arrow flew straight and true toward the gleaming red light. Unfortunately, the witch saw it coming. It tried to deflect it with one of its branches and succeeded, though the arrow did graze the spot. Letting out a mix of painful and angry growl, it started battering the girls with renewed fervor. That was when Ami realized they needed to truly coordinate their moves if they wanted to finish it.

“It’s too focused on protecting it!” she yelled as she jumped out of the way of long vines trying to pin her in place. Slashing them with her sword, she started endlessly attacking the witch’s left side with ice shards of various shapes and sizes. She needed to keep its attention on her, so that the archer could have an open line to the weak spot. “Everyone who doesn’t have long range weapons, keep it distracted and occupied! Everyone who does, keep hitting the spot when it’s open!”

She had never imagined she would take the lead in any situation, but this was strategy, and she knew exactly what needed to be done. Besides, though she tried her best to hide herself in everyday situations—especially now than ever—being a magical girl had become the one thing she was confident about.

OOC:

It felt like they were all working together now, with the blue-haired girl as their leader. Makoto was perfectly fine with following another person's lead. Especially seeing as the blue-haired girl had already showed that she was adept at analyzing the situation and coming up with a strategy.

Makoto moved to the opposite side of the witch, attacking it and hoping that it would focus on her. The blue-haired girl was also attacking, but she looked so small. Makoto would feel better if she were the one to be attacked, rather than the other girl.

With two front line fighters and two long ranged fighters, that seemed like a good mix. Makoto put all of her energy into attacking, trying to draw the witch's attention away from everyone else. The sooner the long ranged girls were able to attack, the sooner the witch would be defeated.

It felt good to work together. As a team. It was also strange. Makoto had always thought it better to work together with other magical girls, but she had quickly learned that working together was not something others were interested in. Other magical girls had called her soft and weak. Makoto often had wondered if they were right, but she worked hard to prove them wrong.

But, for now, she was going to enjoy the idea of being a team with these other girls. They would defeat this witch, and part ways, but at least they were all proof that magical girls could fight together sometimes.

That was enough to give Makoto hope that one day she might find a true team of her own.

For now, she focused on attacking the witch. Her weapon sliced and pierced, unrelenting, the metal crackling with electricity as she added her element to the attack. She glanced over for only a moment, to see how the long ranged girls were faring. The familiars looked to be closing in on them.

Makoto put her attention over in the direction for a moment, and summoned up a lightning storm in order to help protect the other girls. The bolts of lightning fried the familiars, leaving the long ranged girls free from their attacks, but more were moving to replace the fallen ones.

Focusing once more on attacking the witch, Makoto kept an eye out for the other girls, keeping part of her energy towards the thunder storm in order to keep it up and protecting them. It was difficult, putting her focus on two separate places, but she had to try to help the other girls so they would be free to attack the weak point.

She told herself that it was simply because those girls needed to attack the weak point, but a bigger part of her just did not want to see anyone get hurt during this fight.

Perhaps she was just a big softie, after all.

Rei continued to attack the spot that blue-haired girl indicted. She glanced over when she heard another voice saying that she had long ranged attacks. Anoooother one? What was going here? Was she the only one that was confused and thinking that this couldn't be a coincidence? Maybe it was fate or destiny, not that Rei believed in those types of things. But it had to be something, right?

She turned to watch the brown-haired and blue-haired girl. They seemed capable of protecting them without any worries, but Rei was still on edge. She made sure to look behind her, not just to ensure that no enemies were coming up behind her or had killed the other two girls, but also to make sure the girls themselves hadn't turned against her. She knew nothing about them after all, except that they were like her and here in the same spot as her. They could be trying to lull her into a false sense of security just to turn around and stab her in the back. Though for now, she guessed she didn't have much of a choice but to trust them.

Rei watched the new girl come over to where she was already standing. She nodded to the blonde and raised her bow towards the spot she was instructed to concentrate on hitting and flung another arrow towards it as the other girl shot something pink colored towards it. It seemed to be working much better than her doing it on her own, again not that Rei would admit that to anyone. She looked behind her to make sure everything was still normal and then nodded to the blonde again and flung another arrow. Hopefully this witch would be dead in no time!

C'est la vie!  Watashi ga watashi de iru kagiri.  C'est la vie!  Anata wo aishitsuzuketai!"

The music stopped, and the blonde pop idol heaved a sigh of relief and pulled off her headset.  "That's a wrap, Minako.  Great job today," the voice of her manager echoed through the small recording room.  Brushing a piece of long, blonde hair behind her face, Minako exited the studio and headed towards her car.  As soon as she slipped inside of the sleek black automobile, tears spilled from her eyes.

Every day this week, there had been an attack by a witch.  Countless citizens' lives had been put in jeopardy, and Minako had saved every last one by herself.  Kyubey hadn't made an appearance in weeks, and she had just finished a tour a few days before.  Rumors had been spreading throughout the country about Minako's "boyfriend," "pregnancy scandal," "arrest."  All of these rumors were untrue, of course, but they were still stressful and harmful to her image.  She had been working nonstop on her new single, hoping that it would bring back her good name.  

Pushing all of her thoughts and frustrations back, Minako started her car and began to drive towards her large estate.  About halfway through the drive, Minako suddenly swerved as she felt her Soul Gem pulsate from within her pocket.  Slamming on the brakes, she quickly got out of the car, pulling out the golden item and sprinting down the sidewalk.  The gem began to pulsate even faster, and soon she had found the area of distortion in which the witch was taking refuge.  Minako sprinted towards the distorted region, performing a graceful cartwheel as her Soul Gem released as light that enveloped her body.  Upon landing, Minako was in her magical girl uniform, and sprinted the rest of the way into the witch's labyrinth.  

The area around her was covered in dangerous-looking greenery.  Seeing that she would need to cut her way through, Minako formed a large, razor-sharp ax in her hand.  For any normal person, the weapon would be too heavy to bear.  But Minako wasn't normal, and her affiliation with metal allowed her to wield any form without becoming tired.  

She began running, swinging the ax and cutting down predatory vines easily.  She felt as if she was in a maze, and she inwardly groaned as she thought of how long it would take her to get to the witch.  After cutting down a rather stubborn vine, a flurry of voices caused Minako to freeze in her path.  Was this an illusion?  Had the witch taken people hostage?

Determined to find out, Minako followed the voices until she came into a clearing.  Her mouth dropped open upon seeing four other magical girls fighting the witch responsible for this labyrinth.  Magical girls...in Tokyo?  That was impossible...Kyubey had told her that she was the only one.  And it appeared almost as if...they were working together?  How could four magical girls agree to fight against one witch, when they all couldn't share the grief seed?  

Her thoughts were interrupted by an enemy flinging itself in her direction.  With a small cry of surprise, Minako leaped to the side and rolled, coming up and swinging her ax, slicing the plant in two.  Turning back to the ongoing fight between magical girls and witch, Minako threw her ax into the air, changing it into her self-named Holy Blade.  Standing in the shadows, she observed as the four girls displayed their abilities while fighting the witch.  They were all talented, seeming to have years of experience.  Deciding she would work together just this once, Minako dodged another enemy and ran to the side of a blue-haired girl who was about her height.  "This one is strong.  We should all collaborate our attacks.  If you freeze my blade, I can throw it, and the feisty one and the blonde can combine their projectiles with mine, while the brunette over there defends.  We need to do this quickly!"  Minako lunged at another enemy, slicing through it with her blade.

Rei's concentration was broken when she heard yet another voice. Really? Another one? They were multiplying like rabbits! She lowered her bow and looked over to where the voice was coming from. Upon seeing the new girl, she did a double take. She looked slightly like the pigtailed blonde standing next to her. Were they twins? Sisters? They didn't act like they knew each other at all though. Strange. With one last long glance at the new blonde, Rei turned her attention back to the task at hand.

She went to launch another arrow towards the spot she had been working on for some time now, when the pink clad girl spoke up. She wanted to speed up the arrows using her power? Was that even possible? Despite her concerns and doubts, she decided to give it a try anyway.

"It couldn't hurt to try I suppose." Said Rei casually as she positioned herself behind the blonde. She nocked another arrow and poised her bow. Inhaling softly, she took a few moments to aim. This was an important shot. Who knew how much more time they would get if she missed. Maybe they'd all make it out alive, but maybe they'd all die just because she failed at hitting it accurately.

"Everyone ready to attack if this works?" Rei asked the rest of the group. They all would need to work quickly if this plan succeeded. It would only be very vulnerable for a short amount of time before it healed itself back up. Hopefully, this would all work out okay and they could all go home.

When a flash of blonde hair entered her line of vision, Ami thought it was that girl in pigtails—the one with all the light attacks. But her voice sounded different when she spoke. When she could risk a glance toward her, she nearly jumped in surprise. “Where did you come from? And how many more others are coming?” She genuinely found it hard to trust this situation right now. Four other magical girls had appeared in the labyrinth, all battling the same witch. She had never heard of a magical girl team before. All magical girls operated alone within their own territories. This was what Kyubey had told her. But then again, it wouldn’t be the first time that creature had lied to her.

Still, maybe they could discuss all that after the witch was dead. Figuring there was no downside in doing as the girl asked, she sent a blast of ice toward her blade, coating it in sharp icicles. “There you go. All frozen for you.” She saw that the dark haired girl and the girl in pigtails were already coordinating their attacks. “Better throw it on their cue,” she told the new girl, and continued her attempt to distract the witch. Part of her really just wanted to sit back and watch, but unfortunately she didn’t have the luxury. Still, if this cooperation worked… she could already picture it in her head, and it was beautiful. A perfectly synchronized strategy.

Minako couldn't help but grin at the teamwork agreement they had made.  It was rather heartwarming, seeing that magical girls like themselves could forget about their priorities and work as a team.  Perhaps there was hope for Minako, after all?

With this new positive outlook, Minako nodded at the blue-haired girl and shouted, "Now!!"

With a surge of strength, Minako hurled her ice-covered blade at the witch, sending it flying at a tremendous speed.  It would hit the target - there was no doubt about it.  The Holy Blade almost never missed, and encased in magical ice, it would be even more powerful.  She hoped that the fire-girl and the other blonde would time their attack so that it hit at the same time.

Another magical girl had arrived. How was this even possible? It was such a strange occurrence that Makoto almost wanted to believe that she had fallen asleep before sneaking out, and that this was all just a dream.

A strange, but kind of cool, dream.

But her arms were tired from the constant fighting, and she had small nicks and bruises that stung and throbbed, so it couldn't truly be a dream. Which only led her back to wondering how this was at all possible. Would there be even more magical girls showing up soon? Was this witch just incredibly powerful and drew witches to herself?

As the others coordinated their attacks, Makoto continued to fight the way she had been. She kept one eye on the target in front of her, and one on the others who were doing the long range attacks. There were more familiars appearing, making it difficult to keep them from reaching the long range girls. It seemed that even the witch had realized that she was in trouble.

But if this last push didn't defeat the witch, Makoto wasn't sure how much longer they would be able to keep this up without serious injury.

This thought made her fight even harder, and she put all of her faith into the other girls as she continued to try to protect them all.

Rei let her arrow fly as the new blonde shouted to. She closed her eyes as it traveled to their target. Was she going to miss? Would the other two miss? Would it even help make a difference at all? She had no idea, but it was a little late to start questioning it. Her eyes shot back open when she heard a something that sounded like a strangled scream. Bullseye!!! She hit the spot exactly where she wanted to and it seemed like the other girls did as well.

Rei smiled slightly, despite herself. Maybe this could work out after all. They were already working as a well synchronized team, seeming to know what to do in order to use their powers together to do the most damage possible. She knew she didn't need other people to help her, she was more than capable of hunting and killing witches on her own, but it might be nice having someone to watch her back for once. She shook her head softly, as if to clear her thoughts. What was she doing? There was no time to be thinking about silly things like friendship! There were more important manners at hand.

She quickly nocked another arrow in to her bow, and shot it towards the wounded target. If the four of them could attack that spot while the other one defended them from familiars, perhaps they would be able kill this witch in no time.

As the combination of many magical attacks at once hit the witch squarely in its weakest spot, it let out a roar stronger than any they’d ever heard. Ami paused and allowed herself to look toward the result; she couldn’t help herself. Besides, the witch had halted all attacks. When the second arrow hit as well, the witch’s body exploded into a burst of blinding light that forced her to close and shield her eyes. A powerful force knocked her backward off her feet. After the brightness receded, Ami blinked a couple times to make sure she could see again, and the labyrinth was dissolving all around her. The forest thinned, the branches slithered into nothingness, and the leaves wilted.

In a few short seconds, the witch was no more and the place was completely deserted. Well… except for the four other magical girls who were still there. She pushed herself up slowly, feeling exhausted and kind of surreal. It had never taken this much to bring down a witch before. It had never taken five girls to beat one of them.

On the other hand, that teamwork had been amazing. It made her think about the possibilities. The kind of witches they could easily take down between the five them. Maybe cleanse this whole city. Take on the most powerful of witches and rid the world of evil once and for all.

She shook her head, realizing she’d gotten ahead of herself. That was a foolish thought. She’d let what happened get into her head. Just because they’d managed to work together once tonight did not mean they would suddenly become a team. This was just… a coincidence. A fluke. One that surely would not happen again. Wouldn’t they all rather work alone and reap their own rewards without having to share anyway?

She knew deep down that there were no coincidences, but she refused to think about what this meant. She did not want to be fooled or disappointed again. If this were the Incubator’s machinations, then she wanted no part of it.

Her sword hanging limply on her side, Ami walked slowly to the spot where the witch once was. A Grief Seed sat there, full of cleansing power. She moved toward it and picked it up carefully.

Then she looked back at the other four girls. “Great. Now what?”

They could split it, she supposed, but it would immediately be useless right after, since it would be used to cleanse not one but five Soul Gems.

Minako's body was flung backwards as the witch was defeated, disappearing and a flash of bright light.  She groaned as she picked herself up, moving her long hair out of her face.  Dusting herself off, she glanced around at the other magical girls.  The labyrinth was gone, and it was just them standing in the area.  To say the least, Minako was shocked.  

She never would have believed it if someone told her this morning that she was going to work together with four other magical girls to defeat a witch.  But here she was, standing alone with the very four who helped her do just that.  

The fact that this particular witch was so strong was unnerving.  Minako had been noticing a strange peak in the witches' abilities lately, but none as strong as this one.  Perhaps working together was a must?  If the witches were getting stronger, then the magical girls needed to be stronger too.  What better way to do that than by combining their abilities?

With her regained composure, Minako walked over and plucked her sword off of the ground, throwing it into the air where it disappeared.  It had served her well yet again.

The blue-haired girl spoke, and Minako contemplated the answer to her question.  Placing a hand on her hip, she said, "Well, we really have two options.  Either none of us gets it, or we share it.  I'm thinking that since this witch was more powerful, the Grief Seed will have more power.  I'd be willing to share."

Her right eyebrow raised, questioning the other girls as to what they wanted.  Once thing was for certain:  No one was getting full credit.  She would fight them if it came down to that.